Operation: Lukanette
by Ameji
Summary: Alya, chief mastermind of most schemes, has set her eyes on a new goal: getting her best friend together with a certain musician she's in love with on time for the most romantic day of the year! With help from their friends, this year's Valentine's day will find one more couple to celebrate it.


Alya Césaire had a problem. It wasn't _her _problem per se, but she was going to solve it somehow, nonetheless. Staring back and forth between her best friend and the distracted boy she liked, she knew she _had _to come up with some sort of plan to push them together.

She hadn't felt this eager to scheme since the old days with the girl's previous crush. And with Valentine's Day coming up, she knew it was about time these two got together.

Taking out her phone, she subtly sent a group text to their entire group of friends, save for the two who were about to have their lives changed.

_'Code Lukanette.'_

* * *

Thursday the 13th was about to be marked down as the most boring day in history, Marinette decided. She was in her morning class staring dully at the blank board at the front of the room. Her teacher had run out ten minutes before to bring some forms to the principal. Her best friend was sitting with her boyfriend since _his _best friend, Adrien, was in Japan with his fiancée this week. Even Chloe, who was usually causing some sort of obnoxious scene by now, was quietly filing her nails.

If she'd had some work to do, at least that would be something! But no, the morning class had been easy enough to follow and finish everything while the teacher talked. With a heavy sigh, she put her head down on her desk and watched the second hand on the clock slowly move forward. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Just when she'd determined she was about to die from utter boredom, Alya spun around to talk to her. "So, Marinette. Are you up for a girl's night out tonight?"

"Definitely," she accepted eagerly. "Can it start right now?"

The brunette laughed. "Sadly, no. I don't think Madame Duvette would appreciate us skipping throughout our last year of school."

"True, but she would have to be here to know if we left," she groaned.

"She's only been gone for ten minutes. Have some patience," she teased.

"Easy for you to say. You've got Nino to talk to."

"Well I'm talking to you right now," she shrugged. "Anyways, all us girls are going to the karaoke bar."

"Karaoke," she rolled her eyes. "Sounds fun. Too bad I have the confidence of a mouse when it comes to public singing."

"A few drinks and you'll be fine," Alya assured. "But dress up. Like _really _dress up."

"Okay…" she agreed reluctantly.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before the teacher came back and started up a new lesson. The day went by just a little quicker and was just _barely _saved from its fate of having been titled the most boring day in history.

It was finally time to go home and get ready, and she missed being in the school right across from her house for convenience. Now, she had to walk a few blocks before finally entering the bakery, welcomed by the delightful smell of freshly baked bread and desserts.

Her parents greeted her briefly before returning their attention to their customers. She slipped by them and went to her room, laying herself across her bed. Her cat, Tikki, joined her for a short nap. The outing wasn't until later after all, and they had the next day off so they could stay out as late as they wanted. Well, as late as some of their curfews were. Marinette was glad her parents never put a curfew when she went out with the girls, only ever telling her to be safe and to not hesitate to call even at 4 am if something was up.

Her nap was cut short by her phone going off, alerting her to a video call. She groggily answered to see Alya's excited face staring back at her. "Hey! Have you picked out your outfit yet?"

"Not yet," she yawned.

"Okay, I'm coming over," she warned before hanging up.

Marinette felt like the next few minutes were the calm before the storm. Her friend was known to go way overboard sometimes, and she didn't doubt tonight would be a whirlwind.

She discovered she was right as she was shoved into the fifth dress in ten minutes.

"Don't you have anything sexier?" Alya asked bluntly.

"Wh-what?!" her cheeks flared a deep red. "Why would I need a dress like that?"

"Girls. Night." She lectured. "It's the code to dress like that!"

"We haven't before," she argued.

"Okay, well… Just listen to me this time," Alya sighed, digging through the back of her friend's closet. "You've _got _to have-" She stopped suddenly, pulling something out of a box and turning around, holding it up. "Where did you get _this_?"

It was a dress with a halter strap top and a very rippled bottom. The top was low and criss-crossed and formed into a point at the bottom, making it look like a heart. The lower layer of the crossed part was a dark pink, the over layer was a mix between pink and red with the lower tip being a solid deep red. The bottom part started with the dark pink at the top and got darker toward the bottom, with the under layer of ripples being a dark maroon.

"I… I made it a few years ago," Marinette shyly rubbed the back of her head. "In case Adrien had invited me out. I forgot it was there."

"You're wearing it tonight," she ordered.

"If you haven't noticed, it's early February," the designer crossed her arms. "It's a little cold for me to be wearing this, since it barely goes lower than my butt."

"No problem if you wear some black leggings. They go with everything," she winked, tossing the dress at her before digging through a sock drawer.

"I'll also need a good coat to go with this," she added, completely giving up on her own free will. Alya was _determined _to make her wear this. She could see it in her eyes. Before she knew it, she was seated in her vanity chair getting her makeup done. Apparently, her own style of it wasn't quite good enough for the evening. Once she was finally allowed to look in the mirror, she gasped in amazement at her friend's work.

Alya had kept the natural look, but still somehow accented everything different from usual, highlighting her best features. Her lips seemed more plump, her eyes seemed more vibrant, and the blush on her cheeks blended in so well it brought out her creamy skin tone. She'd also styled her hair into a half bun, lightly curling the hair that curved around her face.

"Wow, this is amazing," she lightly touched her face. "I look so… Pretty…"

"You're always pretty," the journalist assured with a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I just wanted you to knock all the unworthy guys out tonight."

Marinette only replied with a shy giggle before moving to her bed and letting her friend get ready for the evening as well. Soon, it was dark out and they were ready to go. The others had already texted to let them know they were on their way to the bar.

After saying goodbye to her parents, they left the building and tried to quickly walk the few blocks it took to get there, which was a bit difficult for the normally clumsy Marinette who was basically forced into wearing high heels. The night air was brisk, making her thankful she had pulled on a faux-fur lined double breasted trench coat. It was black, to match her leggings, but she started to worry about her visibility, essentially being a dark blob in the night.

She was thankful in that sense to be walking next to someone with a flashy outfit. Alya ended up wearing a bright orange and white V-neck dress with a flared bottom, only wearing a white shawl overtop. It was a wonder how she wasn't cold with only a little extra layering, and her open-toed high sandals sure didn't seem to help.

Either way, she was their traffic cone for the moment so who was Marinette to complain or question. It did look good on her, even though orange was a colour she wasn't sure she herself could pull off.

Finally, they saw the bar up ahead. A neon blue sign flashed at them as they approached, seemingly blinking along the heavy music pounding from the inside. It didn't sound like the karaoke event had quite started yet.

Once they got in, it didn't take long to find the other girls huddled at a nearby booth despite the dim light of the establishment. "Hey guys, we made it!" Alya announced once they reached them.

"Uh, hi," Marinette waved.

Rose all but jumped out of the booth to grab them in a hug. "So glad you made it!"

"Hey," Juleka greeted from the table.

Alix and Mylène smiled and waved as well, scooting down the booth so the newcomers could fit in. A waitress soon came around to take their drink orders. There was some new drink on special for Valentine's week (which earned a cheer from Rose who _so _told everyone it was real on Monday) and they all ended up ordering it. Who could resist a half-price specialty drink?

"So, when is the event supposed to start?" Marinette asked nervously. She wasn't really looking forward to singing on stage in front of the increasingly crowded bar.

"Another fifteen minutes or so," Alya grinned before turning to the group. "Have any of you put in song requests yet?"

"Yup!" Rose threw her hand up. "I put in a few for us."

"We're allowed to put some more in later, right?" Alix glanced over at the latest additions to their table. "I'd feel bad if they couldn't sing anything."

"No problem. You just have to flag down a waiter and they'll put it down for you," Juleka explained. "I've been here a few times with Rose."

"Can't get enough of singing, huh?" Mylène giggled. "Even with the band, you can't seem to get your fill."

"How's the band going?" Marinette questioned. "I haven't exactly had time recently to watch you practise."

"More like you have trouble watching your Rockstar crush perform without going all googly-eyed," Alix teased.

"I-I don't have a crush on Luka," she stammered, her face growing a bit hot.

"Never said it was him."

The table of girls had almost-wicked grins on their faces as Marinette started to get even more flustered. All except Juleka, who just scoffed a bit. It was her brother, after all.

"Girl, we all know you're in love with him," Alya chuckled. "It's been pretty clear for the last year or two. Why not just admit it?"

"I…" she hung her head. "Not that I'm admitting it, but if I _did _love him, I would just feel bad and worry everyone else would think he's my second choice now that Adrien's engaged to Kagami."

"I doubt anyone would really think that," Mylène assured. "It's been pretty obvious you've been over Adrien for a while now, and you and Luka have always… Clicked."

"You think so?" she looked up hopefully before frowning again. "Either way, I don't want to bother him. I don't even know if he likes me that way anymore. I mean, he confessed to me like what, three years ago?"

The group collectively rolled their eyes and gave up on convincing her for now. With perfect timing, their waitress arrived with their drinks, setting down 6 tall glasses with layers of white, orange, pink and red topped with whipped cream and cherries.

"Would you ladies like to request any songs to sing?" she asked before she moved on.

"Maybe when you come around again, thanks," Alya replied, sending her off with a smile.

The lights suddenly dimmed even further, and a few spotlights switched on to illuminate a short stage. A mic was already set up, as well as a small tv in the front to read from. Someone, presumably the manager, walked up and announced the start of karaoke night.

The first to be called up was a timid looking man with short blond hair, who kicked the event off with 'I want it that way' by the Backstreet Boys.

"Nothing like a classic to kick it off," Alya grinned.

"I think it's pretty awesome how someone who looks so shy can sing so flawlessly in front of everyone," Rose applauded.

The next one up was a bubbly girl, who sang 'Firework' by Katy Perry.

"Is this just classics night?" Alix grumbled, pretending she wasn't enjoying it.

"Looks like. Oh, here comes a couple!" Mylène pointed excitedly.

There were a few more people on before Rose and Juleka were called up, and they sang a duet of 'All About Us' by T.A.t.U.

Mylène was next, surprising everyone with an on-point 'Livin' on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi, followed by Alix with a shaky but confident 'Sk8ter Boi' by Avril Lavigne, making them all laugh at the irony of her earlier complaint. Wasn't this considered a classic by now, too?

The next few people on were more random strangers, but by the time Marinette had downed two of the special drinks, her jaw dropped at the sight of none other than Luka walking up to the mic. He didn't seem to even have noticed she was there and threw a few glances to the table he came from. She followed his gaze and gasped at the sight of all her male friends sitting along the joined wall, rooting him on.

She refocused her attention on the hesitant guitarist, knowing full-well he was more comfortable in the role of an instrumentalist. Her eyes widened as she recognised the soft intro of the song.

**"Wise men say only fools rush in  
But I can't help falling in love with you  
Shall I stay, would it be a sin  
If I can't help falling in love with you?"**

At that point in the song, he'd found her figure in the bar audience. Taking a deep breath with newfound confidence and purpose, he continued to sing.

**"Like a river flows, surely to the sea  
Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be**

**Take my hand, take my whole life too  
Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you**

She could see he was staring straight at her, having finally noticed she was there, but she couldn't bring herself to look away even shyly. She was too mesmerized by his voice and intense gaze. It felt like he was singing straight to her.

**"Oh, like a river flows, surely to the sea  
Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be**

**Oh, take my hand, take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you  
Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you"**

The song ended and the other patrons broke out in applause as Luka went back to his seat, though not before shooting a wink straight at the woman he was singing to.

Everyone at her table suddenly came back into focus, making her remember she wasn't alone. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, barely noticing their exchanged smirks. "Wow, I didn't know he was here," she finally spoke. "Coincidences, right?"

"_Riight,_" Alya rolled her eyes. Was she being purposely dense?

"It was so romantic," Rose clasped her hands together, leaning against them. "It looked like he was singing straight to you!"

"Y-yeah," the designer stuttered, a bit embarrassed. "Maybe he does still like me after all."

The girls didn't have a chance to reply as the voice over the speaker called Alya and her boyfriend, Nino to the stage. They had decided to sing 'Don't Go Breaking my Heart' by Elton John and Kiki Dee, much to everyone's surprise. Somehow it finished without incident, but their friends were left flabbergasted that 1. They both sang. Together. And 2. They picked such a weird but fun song.

"That sure was something," Alix commented when their friend arrived back at their table.

"Oh, it was nothing compared to what's coming next," she hinted, looking over at Marinette with a sly grin.

The man on the speaker then announced the next singer: Marinette with 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' by Whitney Houston.

"What?!" she almost choked on her third drink. "I never sent in a request! I barely even know the words!"

"There's a screen for a reason, girl," Alya nearly pushed her out of the booth.

She was glad she had enough liquid courage to lead her to the stage, but as the spotlights almost blinded her, she started to feel a bit nervous. The music started up and she saw the lyrics load on the screen, highlighting when it was time to sing them. She was thankful she knew the tune, she was just awful at remembering lyrics.

She started timidly, trying not to really look anywhere except the screen.

**"Clock strikes upon the hour  
And the sun begins to fade  
Still enough time to figure out  
How to chase my blues away  
I've done alright up to now  
It's the light of day that shows me how  
And when the night falls, loneliness calls"**

Looking up from the screen, she began to feel a bit more confident again. She at least knew the chorus, and her eyes wandered the crowd to look at her friends' reactions. They were giving her a collective thumb's up, so she took a deep breath and continued.

**"Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me  
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me"**

She couldn't help but think about Luka, who was no doubt watching her perform right this second. It took everything in her to not look at him, knowing she might start to stumble over her words. Her body started to relax a bit, and she could tell she didn't look nearly as stiff as before. Maybe she could end up 'performing' like most of the others had. Especially since the next verse hit home a little.

**"I've been in love and lost my senses  
Spinning through the town  
Sooner or later, the fever ends  
And I wind up feeling down  
I need a man who'll take a chance  
On a love that burns hot enough to last  
So when the night falls  
My lonely heart calls"**

At this point she shot a glance over to the boys' table. A gasp almost left her as she saw Luka's almost illuminated eyes intently staring back at her. He was smiling, and once he noticed she was looking at him, he gave an encouraging thumb's up as well. Of _course _he knew she was shy to do this. Despite not seeing him one-on-one in a while, he'd been one of her close friends for years!

Encouraged, she got a bit more passionate.

**"Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me  
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me**

**Somebody oo Somebody oo  
Somebody who loves me yeah  
Somebody oo Somebody oo  
To hold me in his arms oh  
I need a man who'll take a chance  
On a love that burns hot enough to last  
So when the night falls  
My lonely heart calls"**

By this point, she was almost bouncing to the rhythm, having fun on stage. Whose opinions did she care about more than her friends' who'd already been on her side since the start?

**"Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me  
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me"**

Seeing the next words pop up on the screen, she looked back at the boys and pointed straight at Luka, spurred on at this point by the alcohol.

**"Don'tcha wanna dance with me baby  
Dontcha wanna dance with me boy  
Hey Don'tcha wanna dance with me baby  
With somebody who loves me"**

She pulled her hand back and clutched it over her heart as she finished the song.

**"Don'tcha wanna dance say you wanna dance  
Don'tcha wanna dance  
Don'tcha wanna dance say you wanna dance  
Don'tcha wanna dance  
Don'tcha wanna dance say you wanna dance  
With somebody who loves me."**

The applause was almost deafening as she left the stage and walked back to her table. She could talk to the man later; it _was _a girl's night after all.

"You were fantastic!" Rose cheered as she approached. "I didn't know you could sing like that!"

"I didn't know you could _perform_ like that," Juleka added.

"You really impressed me," Alya patted her on the back before letting her back in her seat. "I can't believe you got so into it!"

Marinette shyly rubbed her neck in reply. "I don't think I've cut loose like that in a while… And…" Her face turned red as she realised what she'd done. "I sang it to Luka! Oh nooo! I might just die from this."

The other girls laughed giddily. Their plan was smoothly coming together. All that was left was for the one announcement to bring it all to a close.

They continued to watch other people sing, impressed with how many of them were very talented, though the ones that weren't as gifted still seemed to have a lot of fun. Marinette kept looking across the bar at the boys' table, turning and blushing whenever she was caught by the guitarist. The tension was putting her on edge, spurring her to order another two of the sweet drinks.

"Wow, slow down girl," Alya laughed, watching her put in an order for her fifth. "I know you can take it, but your parents probably wouldn't appreciate you stumbling home and falling up stairs."

"Where were you last time we went out?" Alix snickered. "She's a natural champ at acting sober."

"So much for little innocent Marinette, huh?" the journalist chuckled. "Hope you can still sing, though."

As the words left her house, the voice came over the speaker again announcing a surprise duet between two of the popular vocalists of the night – Luka Couffaine and Marinette Dupain-Cheng with 'Rewrite the Stars' from the movie The Greatest Showman.

"Excuse me?" Marinette almost choked on her drink before turning to her best friend. "Is this why you made me watch that movie fifty times in the last two weeks?"

"Maybe," she winked, pushing her out of the booth. "Have fun."

She hesitantly walked through the bar up to the stage that Luka had beaten her to. He was waiting patiently with a small smile and passed her a mic once she was close enough. "Hi," he said quietly.

"Hey," she looked down, a bit shy. "Did they make you watch that movie a bunch, too?"

"No, they just made me memorize the song and wouldn't tell me why," he admitted.

The screen lit up and the words started lighting up, cueing it was time for them to sing. Luka went first, barely even having to glance at the television.

**"You know I want you  
It's not a secret I try to hide  
I know you want me  
So don't keep saying our hands are tied  
You claim it's not in the cards  
Fate is pulling you miles away  
And out of reach from me  
But you're here in my heart  
So who can stop me if I decide  
That you're my destiny?"**

The music started playing and he loosened up, gesturing with the words he was singing as he focused more on her than the crowd.

**"What if we rewrite the stars?  
Say you were made to be mine  
Nothing could keep us apart  
You'd be the one I was meant to find  
It's up to you, and it's up to me  
No one can say what we get to be  
So why don't we rewrite the stars?  
Maybe the world could be ours  
Tonight"**

There was a light pause in the music and Marinette knew it was her turn.

**"You think it's easy  
You think I don't want to run to you  
But there are mountains  
And there are doors that we can't walk through  
I know you're wondering why  
Because we're able to be  
Just you and me  
Within these walls  
But when we go outside  
You're going to wake up and see that it was hopeless after all"**

She looked at him as she sang, letting herself get lost in what was admittedly her favourite song of the movie, and even more lost in his sparkling eyes.

**"No one can rewrite the stars  
How can you say you'll be mine?  
Everything keeps us apart  
And I'm not the one you were meant to find  
It's not up to you  
It's not up to me  
When everyone tells us what we can be  
How can we rewrite the stars?  
Say that the world can be ours  
Tonight"**

They both sang together, their outward arms raising up like wings and lowering for the next part.

**"All I want is to fly with you  
All I want is to fall with you  
So just give me all of you**

**It feels impossible (it's not impossible)  
Is it impossible?  
Say that it's possible"**

Luka switched mic hands and she did the same, letting him grab her hand and spin her around before letting her fall into him. At that point they were thankful for the invention of cordless microphones.

**"How do we rewrite the stars?  
Say you were made to be mine?  
Nothing can keep us apart  
'Cause you are the one I was meant to find  
It's up to you  
And it's up to me  
No one can say what we get to be  
And why don't we rewrite the stars?  
Changing the world to be ours"**

The music stopped but the song wasn't over. They broke apart and Marinette took her last verse, glancing back over at her partner.

**"You know I want you  
It's not a secret I try to hide  
But I can't have you  
We're bound to break and my hands are tied."**

The spotlight dimmed, signaling that the performance was over and letting the patrons erupt in applause. It was the most passionate and interactive performance of the night, and _everyone _could feel the chemistry between the two.

They left the stage together and headed to the door instead of their tables. Both of them had had enough of being kept apart by their scheming friends. Once they were outside, Marinette took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Well, that was fun," she finally said, leaning back against the building.

"It was," he agreed.

She looked up at him, trying to keep calm as his eyes were somehow sparling more than under the spotlight. "I had to watch that movie so much the past few weeks. I kind of want to do some rope dancing."

He held his hand out, smiling when she took it with a confused look. Pulling her closer and putting his other hand on her waist, he rested his head on top of hers. "I hope regular dancing is okay."

"I'll make an exception for you," she tried to keep her voice from shaking as she put her free hand on his shoulder and pressed against him. They were outside in the middle of February slow-dancing in front of a busy bar, but she didn't care. This was _Luka _and she was never able to bring herself to care about the surrounding world when she was in his arms.

"I'm sorry if you wanted me to ask you out for tomorrow… Or ever," he apologised. "I wanted to give you however much time you needed to get over Adrien."

"I've been over him for a few years," she admitted. "I just didn't know if you still liked me, and I felt like it wouldn't be fair if you'd moved on after all that time and I suddenly confessed."

He pulled away a bit and looked down at her, letting go of her hand and softly cupping the side of her face. "I'll always love you, Marinette."

"Luka…" she started to tear up, trying to wish them away since she was wearing more makeup than normal. "I love you."

In the next moment, his lips were covering hers, and she melted even more into him. The drinks had certainly had their effect, as well as the adrenaline from the stage, but she knew there was nothing in the world she'd wanted more than this.

After a minute or two, he pulled away. "How would you feel about ditching your friends?"

"I think they deserve to pick up my tab," she giggled, looping her arm through his. "Where are we going?"

"Stargazing," he replied. "Do you want to stop and your house and change first? That dress is the prettiest one I've ever seen you wear. I wouldn't want it to get ruined."

"No argument here," she sighed with relief at the thought of getting rid of her heels as well.

Before she knew it, she was cuddling up to him on the roof of his houseboat wearing fluffy pajamas and huddling under thick blankets. It was a better turnout she'd thought for the evening. Finding out she could sing pretty well _and _officially starting a relationship with the man she'd been in love with for a few years was a strong way to end the night.

As she checked her phone for any new texts from Alya, she noticed the time. "Hey, it's like 1 am," she giggled. "I haven't been up this late in a while."

"You know what that means, right?" Luka turned to her, moving her to his lap. "Happy Valentine's Day, Marinette."

"Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered back, closing her eyes and moving in for another deep kiss. _'Best one yet.'_


End file.
